Nippon
Nippon is a beautiful island continent located west of Xepher. Its is a land of all four seasons, large mountains, deep jungles, bamboo forests, large rice fields, elegant castles, mystical creatures, evil oni, powerful monks, brave samurai, and cunning ninja. Nippon is a land guarded by its own gods and spirits and somewhat exists differently than the rest of Galea, for when outsiders come to Nippon the first thing they notice besides the different architecture is the lack of the moons, only the great blue moon of Ola is visible in the night sky of Nippon, except on rare nights when the red moon takes over the sky. Some say this is due to the spiritual differences here while others claim it is due to the orbits of the moons. Visitors to Nippon need to be aware that traveling in the sky over Nippon is dangerous since its common knowledge that the great Shen dragon guards the skies against would be trespassers. The lands of Nippon are split into areas each controlled by its own clan but overall authority of Nippon lies with the Emperor and its Jade Court. The Emperor is considered a divine being descended from a long bloodline touched by the gods. The Emperor's power is immense and his word is divine law. Great Clans *Onyx Spider Clan - Considered the most treacherous clans with strong ties to ninja and dark entities, those that deal with the Onyx Spider should be wary. *Golden Dragon Clan - Known for its incredibly strong unarmed fighting styles and monks, the Golden Dragon have the strongest ties with the Imperial court. *Ruby Phoenix Clan - Born of flames this clan has ties to the elemental plane of fire and is known for its fire dancers and hot blooded nature. *White Tiger Clan - The most honorable clan with the strongest and bravest samurai, the White Tiger are to be feared on the battlefield. *Sapphire Koi Clan - Known to have the strongest ties with the Kami, especiall the water kami. They are travelers, explorers, merchants, and are well known for their strength of character. They are the best sailors in all of Nippon. *Emerald Turtle Clan - Incredibly tough, the Turtle clan is known for their rugged warriors, superior smiths, and sailors second only to the Koi. Minor Clans *Wolf Clan - This clan is known for its mercenary groups who will never break a contract. *Raven Clan - This minor clan is known for its excellent spymasters and occult knowledge. *Crow Clan - This minor Clan is renowned for its scholars and historians. *Snake Clan - Thought to be destroyed, this clan has gone into hiding so that it can continue its taboo practices. *Steel Clan - Known for its blacksmiths, this minor clan is sworn to the Imperial court. *Rabbit Clan - *Ox Clan - *Fox Clan - This Clan is run by Kitsune and is known for both its craftsman and merchants. Royal Families The Royal Families are divided into groups that fulfill a specific task for the Jade Court, be this courtier, historian, priest, or defender. *Takashi - The Jade Emperors Family *Kanoe - Shugenja or Priest Family *Kujo - Historian Family *Ichijo - Imperial Guard Family *Gojo - Imperial Guard Family Ninja Clans *Shadow Raven - Vassal clan of the Raven, this group of ninja have strong ties to shadows, with some believing that they are infected with the lying darkness. *Azuma - The Azuma are courtesans and Geisha who specialize in gathering secrets and disposing political opponents for the clans. They are more normally used by the minor clans. *Black Spider - Vassal clan of the Onyx Spider, lead by the immortal ninja Genshin wielding the Sword of the Archfiend. *Murasame - The Murasame Clan blurs the line between traditional ninja clans and mercenary company. They utilize hit and run and ambush tactics as small groups for various organizations. *Tree Frog - Known for utilizing a variety of toxins and venom, this clan has allied itself with the Emerald Turtle, though their services can be bought for the right price. *Lotus - Employed by the Imperial court, this clan focuses on diplomacy and intelligence gathering. *Izuna - The Izuna Clan is known for their ability to work in hostile environments and train their operatives to work in extreme terrain such as mountains, deep jungle, and even underwater. Religion The religion of Nippon is centered around the worship of the Seven Lucky Gods. These gods and goddesses have shrines dedicated to them through out the whole of the islands and are prayed to daily to bring about good fortune. They are opposed by the Shingami who were corrupted by Kage and they now reside there, waiting for their time to strike back and retake the Prime Material. Elemental spirits called Kami are also revered and their diametrically opposed counterparts, the Oni, and equally as feared. History Early History Geography Military Though there is no unified Military of Nippon, each Clan has its on armed force that protects both from internal and external attacks. Two of the Imperial Families have dedicated themselves to be the guardians of the Jade Emperor and those that serve him. The Jade Emperor is also provided a group of Samurai from each of the Great Clans to both provide council and defense. During their time as members of the imperial court the Samurai that are called do not consider themselves to be members of their Clans. In rare cases the Jade Emperor will designate a Shogun, who can call upon the clans to unify under his command to fight threats to Nippon. Government & Law The ruler of Nippon is its Jade Emperor and his court of Jade officials and Courtiers. Nippon consists of a Caste system with the Shogun (When Designated) having military power over all Nippon, under him are the Daimyo which are clan leaders, under the Daimyo are the Samurai which can own land within the clans, under the Samurai are Peasants which serve the Samurai, under them are merchants and Artisans. The lowest of the Castes are the Eta which consists of vagrants and ex-convicts, along with prostitutes and hinin "non-people", they are the worst treated people in Nippon. However, It should be noted that men and women are treated equally in Nippon as women are seen to be able to complete any task that men are capable of. Samurai women even receive combat training as they are seen as protectors of the home.